


You Saved Me

by malecnificenttyrus11



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: Ben Saves Devi, Bevi, Concerned!Ben, Coyote Attack, Hospitals, Injured!Devi, Realizations, Rewritten Scene, The One Where Ben Saves Devi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24522532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecnificenttyrus11/pseuds/malecnificenttyrus11
Summary: Hey everyone! So this is one of my first fics that I've written from a prompt! This is dedicated to User: Coolness , who inspired this story. Enjoy!~The last person Ben expected to see, or was prepared to see, at Trent's party was Devi. He'd been having so many conflicting feelings about her that he tried to avoid her at all costs. Now that he's forced to face her, will he be able to be nice? And what happens when a freak accident forces Ben to suck up his pride and save the day?
Relationships: Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar
Comments: 4
Kudos: 69





	You Saved Me

When Ben walks into Trent's party, the last person he was expecting to see was Devi Vishwakumar. Since when was she cool enough to be at one of Trent's parties...or a party in general?

Okay, Ben knew that was a dick thing to say, especially since he wasn't even cool enough to be at one of these parties.

Truth be told, the only reason why Ben was ever invited to parties was because of his popular girlfriend, Shira. 

And not even SHE acknowledged him at parties. She'd just ditch him immediately for her friends, leaving him to wander around the entire night alone and pretend to fit in.

But of course, Ben wouldn't let his vulnerability show. Especially not in front of Devi Vishwakumar, his sworn enemy since childhood. 

The one that he'd come to terms with finding both attractive, and friend-material. 

"Sup people, who wants some Za?" Ben yells out with a smile, looking around at the crowd. Not one person even looks up in his direction. 

He ignores the way that it stings, nodding to himself as he puts the pizza down on the dining room table.

Ben watches as Devi turns to look at him, standing up from her spot on the couch and making her way over to him.

Shit...what was he going to say? Should he try being nice...since, you know, she was probably the only person here who would talk to him.

Nah...that would be way too obvious, he needed to be cool.

Ben scoffs and rolls his eyes as Devi stops to stand in front of him, a smile on her face.

She actually looked pretty nice tonight...her thigh high boots went really well with her skirt and...

What the hell was he thinking? Get your shit together, Ben...let's not have another headband skirt/high heels freakout.

"Can I get you a gatorade...cause' you seem REAL thirsty." Devi jabs, smirking at him.

Ben gives her a judgemental look over (you know...for dramatic effect. Not because he thought she looked nice or anything.)

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be counting your friends on two fingers?" He asks in his normal condescending tone.

Okay, Ben...that was weak. You're really losing your touch.

Devi laughs, "You're one to talk...how are you even here? None of these people even like you." 

Okay, ouch. That hurt. But she wasn't wrong.

Ben rolls his eyes, "Yeah they do..." he argues back, turning to look at Trent, "Sup Trent!" He calls out, holding out his fist in greeting.

Trent pauses beside him, giving him a weird look before walking right past him.

Shit...he really looked like an idiot right now. He had to play it cool.

Ben lowered his fist, shrugging his shoulders, "Whatever," he said nonchalantly, "uh...Shira plays field hockey with Zoey so, she invited us." He explains.

Devi smirks at him, "Ah...and there it is." she jabs.

She really needed to stop smirking at him. It made him both nervous, and think that she was really attractive. This was a deadly combination for Ben.

"Yeah...and who are you here with?" Ben deflects.

In all honesty, he had no idea who she could have been here with. I mean, he knew that she was in a group with Trent and Paxton Hall-Yoshida for a class project, but that wouldn't make her get invited to a party.

They were probably just using her for a good grade, honestly.

"Oh, well...I've been basically talking to Paxton all night, so I'd say him..." She brags casually.

What the hell...Devi was actually here with Paxton? She'd been talking to him all night?

Why did this seem to bother Ben so much? 

Ben scans the room until his eyes fall on Paxton, who is currently very close with a girl who is NOT DEVI. He feels relief settle over him...

So Devi and Paxton weren't TOGETHER.

Ben smirks, "Oh...that Paxton?" he asks, gesturing over to the wall where Zoey and Paxton were flirting.

Ben...why the hell would you do that? You knew that it would upset her.

Did you want to do it on purpose since she'd been throwing Paxton in your face?

Ben watches as Devi turns to look at Paxton and Zoey, her face immediately falling.

He couldn't help but start to feel guilty.

"Wow...Paxton and Zoey!" He exclaims, "That's a pretty hot couple, huh?"

Devi shrugs her shoulders, face looking defeated. 

"She's only hot from the boobs down...and the chin up." Devi breathes out, and Ben can't help but smirk.

He was secretly loving every second of this.

But he also felt kind of bad for making Devi feel self-conscious and insecure for bragging about Zoey's hot looks.

Yeah...that was a really shitty move.

"But her...neck is busted." Devi adds, and Ben furrows his eyebrows.

Ben watches as Devi tilts her head back, chugging her entire bottle of beer. His eyes widen in concern.

"Woah...maybe you should slow down..." Ben suggests, concern in his voice.

Devi slams her empty bottle down on the table, grabbing a can of beer and glaring at him, "Maybe you should shut up!" she snaps, storming off in the direction of the backyard.

Ben's eyes widen, taken aback by her outburst.

His face falls. He really fucked up this time.

"Well..." he breathes out, picking up a drink and taking a sip.  
~  
The party goes on, and Ben grows concerned as he hasn't seen Devi since she'd stormed off.

He began to get worried about her. It was obvious that the whole Paxton situation struck a chord with her, and Ben didn't make the situation any better.

What if Devi was engaging in self-destructive behavior? What if she was drinking too much?

Ben could admit that he'd been jealous of Paxton and Devi...but he didn't want Devi to get upset.

He also didn't want her to hurt herself...which was inevitable if she drank too much.

Ben stood uncomfortably near the dining room table, drinking a beer and scanning the crowd for any sign of Devi.

A while later Shira approached the table, and Ben forced a smile, "Hey, Sheers. Having fun?" he greets her. 

Shira looks at herself through her phone, touching up her makeup, "Yeah, babe..."

Ben rolls his eyes. This was about the deepest that their conversations ever went. And that was if they even conversed at all.

"Holy shit! There's a coyote on the lawn!" Ben hears one of the partygoers yell out from the backyard.

Ben snorts...someone was definitely wasted and seeing things...nothing new. He turns his attention back to the party inside, where kids were now gathering around the table...taking slices of the pizza he brought.

Ben jumps when he hears a loud scream come from the backyard, followed by collective gasps.

Ben's eyes widen, and he immediately runs towards the gathering crowd near the door to see what happened. He was almost certain that he recognized that scream.

He pushes his way through the crowd to get a better look at what was going on.

"Yo! A coyote just ate one of the UN!" Trent yells out in a dramatic voice.

Ben resists the urge to knock Trent out for referring to Devi as a "UN"...although he could only blame himself for creating the offensive nickname in the first place.

Ben spotted Devi laying on her back in the grass, her shoulder covered in blood. His eyes widened, and he immediately stumbled forward. 

"That was like...a straight up red riding hood, man! Are you dead?!" Trent calls out in a drunken voice.

Ben hesitates, unsure if he should run over to help Devi. I mean...for so long he had convinced himself that he'd disliked her and didn't care about her at all.

But over the last few weeks, those feelings began to change. He realized that he did in fact care about Devi, even if he was unsure of what exactly that meant.

Ben's body acted on autopilot, immediately running towards Devi and dropping down beside her in the grass.

"Devi...hey? can you hear me?" Ben calls out, resting a hand on her uninjured shoulder. Devi groans, but doesn't respond.

Ben takes a closer look at her shoulder, eyes widening when he saw the rips in her shirt, which were now covered in blood.

He grabs Devi's uninjured arm, wrapping it around his shoulder and lifting her up from the ground, leaning her weight against him.

"Hey...Devi, it's going to be okay. I've got you." Ben reassures her as he guides her in the direction of his car.

Once he reaches his car, he immediately unlocks it and opens the passenger door. He wraps an arm under Devi's legs and lifts her into his arms, carefully placing her into the seat.

He does her seatbelt, frowning when he hears Devi moan in pain.

He shuts the door, running to the other side and jumping in. He starts the car and pulls out of the driveway at record speed, taking off down the road towards the hospital.  
~  
Ben glances away from the road and over at Devi, who is still in a daze. He sees her starting to close her eyes, and begins to panic.

"Devi...Devi, hey! I need you to stay awake for me, okay?" Ben breathes out, his voice shaking.

Devi groans, "It hurts." she whispers.

Ben frowns, "I know. We're going to get you help...okay? You're going to be okay." he says to reassure her.

In reality, he's saying it for himself just as much as for her. He needed to convince himself that she was going to be okay. 

He wouldn't know what he would do if she wasn't. 

Ben took a deep breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly, trying to ground himself.   
~  
It felt like an eternity before Ben finally pulled up at the emergency room. He jumped out of the car, running to the passenger side and wrapping one arm under Devi's shoulders and one under her legs, lifting her out of the car and into his arms.

Ben stumbles towards the entrance of the ER, and hurries to the front desk, "Hi. My friend was just attacked by a coyote. She's bleeding pretty bad." he explains as he tries to catch his breath.

"Okay...we're going to take her back into the examination area. What is her name?" The lady at the front desk asks.

"Devi Vishwakumar." Ben informs her in a shaky voice. The lady nods, typing on the computer. 

"And do you know how old she is?" She asks.

Ben nods, "she's 16."

Ben was relieved that he was the one to take Devi to the ER. If Paxton had decided to run to the rescue, he wouldn't have known anything to tell the doctors.

"Okay. So we'll need parental consent to treat her. We're going to have to call her mother." She informs him. Ben nods, and he feels Devi jolt.

She groans, "No! You...can't call my mom. She thinks I was doing a school project. If she finds out I was at a party or drinking she'll freak." Devi gasps out.

Ben frowns, "Devi. We need to call your mom." 

A doctor comes towards them with a wheelchair, helping Ben to sit Devi down. He begins to wheel Devi off, and Ben tries to follow. The lady at the front desk stops him.

"Young man...I'm going to need you to stay out here while they examine your friend." She informs him.

Ben frowns but nods, sitting in a waiting room chair. His legs bounce nervously, and he twiddles his thumbs as he anxiously waits to hear if Devi is okay.

He couldn't believe what had happened at the party. 

He knew deep down that Devi was going to spiral out of control after their conversation, and he couldn't help but blame himself for her getting attacked. 

If it weren't for him throwing Paxton in her face, she wouldn't have gotten upset and drank as much as she did.

And if she didn't drink so much, she wouldn't have thought it was okay to approach a wild coyote.

Shit...Ben was such a dick. This was probably the worst thing he'd done yet.

He did surprise himself though with how quickly he reacted to the situation. In any normal situation, Ben would've been too much of a coward to jump in. But this was different.

This was about Devi.

Ben had never felt that kind of fear or panic before. His body reacted quickly, knowing that he needed to help her.

And he was glad that he did. He didn't see Paxton jumping in to save Devi. He clearly didn't care about her the way she did about him.

Ben didn't know why, but that actually relieved him.  
~  
"Excuse me...were you the young man with ms. Vishwakumar?" A voice asks from behind him.

Ben immediately jumps out of his seat, turning to look at the doctor.

"Yes...how is she?!" Ben asks frantically.

The doctor smiles reassuringly at him, "She had only minor injuries. We patched her up...she's going to be just fine."

Ben lets out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank God. Am I able to see her?"

The doctor nods, gesturing for Ben to follow him.

The doctor points Ben to a room, "She's just behind that curtain." 

Ben thanks him, immediately making his way over to Devi's room. He isn't sure what he's going to say to Devi, especially after what a dick he was to her the entire night.

He decided that he was going to suck up his pride and just be himself.

Ben pauses just behind the curtain, listening to Devi talking with what sounded like Fabiola and Eleanor.

He doesn't want to intrude, so he waits until she hangs up her video call. 

He takes a deep breath, composing himself before walking into the room.

"Paxt-" Devi starts and looks up, eyes widening when she sees Ben.

"Ben? But I thought..." Her voice drifts off.

Ben raises an eyebrow, "You thought that Paxton was the one who brought you here? Sorry for not being the person you wanted to save you." he snaps.

Come on, Ben. She was just attacked by a coyote. Push aside your personal feelings about her crush on Paxton.

Devi's face falls, "Ben...that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised that...you were the one who helped me."

Ben nods, "That's fair. But of course I did, Devi."

Devi's eyes softened, "Ben...you stayed..." she breathes out.

Ben's eyes widened, "I...uh. Yeah...I just wanted to make sure, you were okay."

That was about the most honest thing Ben has ever said. To be honest...it felt nice to say something and mean it.

Devi's eyes widened, a smile appearing on her face.

It was almost like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. To be honest...Ben shocked himself just as much as he had shocked her.

But in a good way.

"Thank you, Ben...God, I'm so embarrassed." Devi groans, putting her head into her hands.

Ben shakes his head, slowly walking over to stand beside her bed, "Don't be embarrassed. You were drunk...things like this happen."

Devi rolls her eyes, "Yeah...I'm sure people get drunk and try to pet a wild coyote all the time at these parties."

Ben laughs, "Okay...maybe NOT. But it's still okay."

Devi starts to laugh softly also, "Ben...I'm pretty sure you'd think I'm crazy if you heard why I approached the coyote in the first place."

Ben raises an eyebrow, sitting down beside her on the bed.

"I highly doubt that...but feel free to prove me wrong." He smiles.

Devi sighs, looking down at her lap.

"I kind of thought that the coyote was my dad reincarnated. It's a long story...but I was very wrong, clearly." She explains, gesturing to her bandaged shoulder.

Ben raises an eyebrow, "Why did you think it was your dad?"

Devi shrugs, "I saw a coyote in my dad's garden a few nights ago and...I don't know. I could just TELL that it was my dad. It didn't try to hurt me....it looked at me like my dad used to. It's dumb...I know."

Ben shakes his head, "I don't think it's dumb at all, Devi. It's not completely out of the realm of reality to see our dead loved ones as animals or symbols." he comforts her.

Devi looks up at him, "So you don't think I'm crazy?" she asks.

Ben laughs softly, "I mean...I think you're crazy for approaching a coyote while drunk..."

Devi laughs shyly.

"But for thinking you saw your dad? I don't think you're crazy at all." He reassures her.

Devi smiles, reaching over to squeeze his hand, "Thank you, Ben...."

Ben nods, not even attempting to pull his hand away from hers. 

A comfortable silence falls between them, and Ben decides this is a better time than any to apologize to her.

"Devi..."

"Ben..."

They both say in unison, giving eachother a look and laughing.

"Me first...okay?" Ben asks, and Devi nods.

Ben sighs, "Devi...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Not just for tonight but for all of the times I've been really shitty to you. You didn't deserve it."

Devi smiles, "That's okay. If I'm being honest, you're the only person that treated me normally after my dad passed away, and I ended up in the wheelchair."

Ben's eyes widened, feeling like his heart would burst.

"Really?" He asks, voice full of disbelief.

Devi nods, "Yeah. I mean...everyone else treated me like I was fragile and weak. But you never went easy on me. And even though you were a major dick sometimes...you were the one person who kept me motivated."

Ben couldn't believe what he was hearing. If he was being honest, this was the nicest thing someones ever said to him. He normally felt like nobody really needed him, and that he didn't really have a purpose.

Little did he know that he had a purpose the entire time.

"Although I still feel shitty about it, I'm glad I was able to help. I never once thought you were weak or fragile." He affirms.

Devi smiles, "Okay...now its my turn."

Ben starts to feel nervous, eyes wandering around the room.

What was she going to say to him? Was she going to snap at him?

"Ben...I'm sorry for making you think I wanted someone else to help me. I mean...it was shitty of me to assume Paxton was the one who did. It was also crazy...because why would Paxton ever save me, y'know?" She explains, and Ben frowns.

"I know that I'm just a stupid UN that guys like Paxton would never even be interested in..." She continues, and Ben shakes his head.

He is not going to listen to Devi tear herself down over a guy that was not even worth it. She deserved all the recognition in the world. I mean...

How could she not see how amazing she was?

"Devi...that is so far from the truth. I'm sorry if my dumb nickname from sixth grade made you think that you're not good enough. But you ARE." Ben reassures her.

"Devi, you're smart, and funny, and fierce, and strong, and you're beautiful..." Ben lists off, watching as Devi's eyes lit up.

Ben smiles, "And I'm sorry, but if Paxton is dumb enough to not see that...then it is his loss. Because any guy would be lucky to have you."

Devi's eyes well up with tears, and she leans forward to pull Ben into a hug.

Ben's eyes widen in surprise, but he immediately hugs her back, careful not to hurt her injured shoulder.

Devi winces, and Ben pulls away, "Shit...did I hurt you? I'm sorry..."

Devi laughs, "Ben, I'm fine. You're such a dork."

Ben glares at her, "Hey, you should be nicer to me. I kind of saved your life."

Devi snorts, "Okay that's fair. But I'm still going to poke fun at you...it's kind of the best part of my day."

Was she reading Ben's mind or something? That is literally how Ben felt about their competition and banter.

Ben's heart started racing, "That's funny. It's the best part of my day too." he says, smiling at her. 

Their eyes remained locked, until a voice made them jump apart.

"God dammit, Devi, I can't believe..." Nalini's voice yelled as the curtain of her room was slid open.

She froze, looking at Ben with a shocked expression on her face, "Ben Gross? What are you doing here?"

Ben smiled politely at her, "Hi Mrs. Vishwakumar. I was at the party when Devi got attacked by the coyote. I took her here." he explains.

Devi's mom raises an eyebrow, "You did...did you?"

Ben nods slowly.

Devi's mom smiles at him, "Thank you, Benjamin. That was very kind of you to help my REBELLIOUS daughter." 

Ben smiles uncomfortably, "It was no problem. Um...I should probably go so that you two can talk. It was nice seeing you Mrs. Vishwakumar..." he says, turning to look at Devi.

"I'll, uh...see you at school, Devi." He says with a smile, and Devi nods.

Ben turns to walk out of the room. Devi's voice stops him.

"Ben! Thank you again...for saving me." Devi breathes out.

Ben grins at her, nodding.

Devi watches as he walks out of the room, smile still on her face. She turns to look at her still very upset mother, and her face falls. Her mother pulls the curtain closed, walking over and sitting beside her on the bed.

"Oh my god...Kanna. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I got a call that you were eaten by a wild animal!" She cries out as she examines Devi's arm.

Devi rolls her eyes, "Mom, I got bitten. Not eaten."

Nalini rolls her eyes, bringing Devi into an embrace, cradling her head, "When I got here the nurse told me ALL about how this happened because..."

Nalini grasps Devi's shoulders, shaking them "You were drunk!"

Devi hisses in pain, "Shit! My shoulder!"

"What on earth would posess you to behave this way? This is not how I raised you!" Nalini reprimands her.

Devi frowns, "I know, mom. I'm sorry. I don't know. I just wanted to be a normal teenager."

Nalini laughs, "Devi, normal teenagers always end up either in prison or worse. That is not you!"

Devi rolls her eyes, "Mom...Ben goes to these parties all the time and he hasn't ended up in prison or "worse"." she says matter-of-factly.

Nalini rolls her eyes, "Well that is because Benjamin is a smart boy. He has a bright future ahead of him."

Devi raises an eyebrow, "Really? And what about me?"

Devi's mom laughs, "Well you, my daughter, are going to be grounded until you graduate. Or if you'd like to disobey me again...until your kids graduate. Your choice..."

Devi groans, "But Mom!" she argues, and Nalini shakes her head.

"This is not up for debate. I'm going to go speak to the doctor." Nalini informs her, walking out of the room.

Devi sighs, looking down at her lap. Her phone dings and she picks it up, smiling when she sees a text from Ben.

Ben: I'm glad you're okay, David. But if you ever get drunk and go near a more dangerous animal...I can't promise I'll be able to save you again. 

Devi smirks, texting him back.

Devi: My HERO! I'll make sure to choose which animal mauls me next time.  
~  
Ben is sitting in his car when his phone dings. He reads Devi's text message, smirking. She always knew how to jab back at him. 

He puts his phone down, starting his car and heading towards the road.

He couldn't help his mind from drifting over to everything that happened that night. It all happened so fast, Ben wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not.

After yet another strange turn of events between him and Devi, Ben came to another realization.

He had feelings for Devi Vishwakumar.


End file.
